Currently, in the United States, the right to vote is a right that is given to every American citizen. Though once not everybody could vote through this discrimination, there have been countless movements to gain these rights. Voting rights were often denied due to race as well as gender. There were even steps installed to prevent them from voting when given these rights. People of color did not fully get the right to vote until 1965, compared to the white males of the time who could vote. Women's right to vote came early compared to people of color, who were given the right to vote through countless blockages. This point was used to help women argue for as well as gain the right to vote in the United States. This essay will cover the Voting Rights Act of 1965 as well as the …show more content…
At one time, this was not the case. Not everybody could vote. This discrimination then caused plenty of movements to gain these rights for those who did not have them. Before, voting rights were often denied due to race as well as gender. There were even blockades from state governments to stop this from happening to plenty of people of color. People of color did not fully get the right to vote until 1965, compared to white males as well as white women of the time, who could vote way before they could. Women's right to vote came early in the 1920s, compared to women of color, who were given the right to vote through plenty of blockages as well as clauses. This essay covers the Voting Rights Act of 1965 as well as the effects it has on plenty of citizens today. The first paragraph covers the Voting Rights Act of 1965 as well as life as well as social norms before this act was passed. The second paragraph covers how the Voting Rights Act of 1965 was passed as well as how it was possible to be passed. The third paragraph covers how the Voting Rights Act of 1965 affects us
When you look around at the world today, we have so many rights. People of all race and gender have the right to vote. However, this wasn’t always the case. In 1800s America, the fight over slavery was more prominent than it ever had been before. The civil war sparked the start of an evolution, an evolution led by none other than Ulysses S. Grant.
The common people were denied the right to vote in national elections. African Americans could not cast their own votes, but counted as three-fifths of a vote for whoever voted for its owner. In addition, white women could not even vote for a
In United States the government decide who get the rights to vote. In 1774 to 1848 only white men was given the right to vote who they like to representatives but in modern day now things has changed. Laits.utexas.edu said “the right of citizens of the United States, who are eighteen years of age or older, to vote shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any State on account of age.” The analysis of this quote is every citizens of the United States that was over 18 year olds can vote. This quote can be useful to help support this big argument by get more facts or information about who get the rights to vote in United States Democratic
Women were about half of the population, and to actively deny their right to vote makes American politics less democratic because it does not represent them in the government. Moreover, another group that was not represented in American politics were Native Americans. Natives, such as those in the Cherokee Nation who lived in the United States were also denied voting rights. When putting together all these groups together, the minority becomes a majority, and a government that does
With that being said, suffrage for all doesn't assure that minorities are on equal footing with the government. Additionally, just because everyone is granted the right to vote does not necessarily grant everyone the same role. This notion is particularly
The Voting Rights Act of 1965 is a landmark piece of civil rights legislation that was enacted to protect the voting rights of African Americans and other minority groups. The law was signed by President Lyndon B. Johnson on August 6, 1965, and has been credited with increasing the political power and representation of minority groups in the United States. This essay will explore the background, significance, and impact of the Voting Rights Act, as well as the current challenges and controversies surrounding the law. Prior to the passage of the Voting Rights Act, voting rights were often denied to African Americans and other minority groups through a variety of discriminatory practices, including literacy tests, poll taxes, and other measures.
This became possible because of the Voting rights act. The voting rights act made it possible for all citizens of the United States can vote. The Act stated that “shall be entitled and allowed to vote at all elections,
The right to vote in the United States is a fundamental right for all of the citizens. However, for African American citizens, that fundamental right was being taken away from them, despite previous constitutional amendments. Over the course of five months, African Americans fought peacefully for their right to vote. By marching from Selma to Montgomery, African Americans pathed the way to the establishment of the Voting Rights Act of 1965, which then allowed them to exercise their voting rights.
The Voting Rights Act of 1965 is a landmark piece of federal legislation in the United States that prohibits racial discrimination in voting.[7][8] It was signed into law by President Lyndon B. Johnson during the height of the Civil Rights Movement on August 6, 1965, and Congress later amended the Act five times to expand its protections.[7] Designed to enforce the voting rights guaranteed by the Fourteenth and Fifteenth Amendments to the United States Constitution, the Act secured voting rights for racial minorities throughout the country, especially in the South. According to the U.S. Department of Justice, the Act is considered to be the most effective piece of civil rights legislation ever enacted in the country.[9] The Act contains numerous
“The vote is the most powerful instrument ever devised by man for breaking down injustice and destroying the terrible walls which imprison men because they are different from other men,” said Lyndon Baynes Johnson, the 36th President of the United States, in a speech at Washington D.C.. From 1963 to 1969, Johnson fought to secure ballot rights for African Americans, rights that had been given to all races in the fifteenth amendment in 1870. Sixty six years later, Johnson was still fighting for rights that had already been granted. According to Johnson, the vote was supposed to bring about equality in ways that other laws could not. Unfortunately, this was not the case.
Even though it was only white men who voted, the voting process had already begun all so long ago. These rights are now truer than ever. After so many suffrage movements, protests, and fights for rights, everyone is equal no matter gender or color. In present day United States, every man or women of any color can vote, own property, have a position in government, and just have the same rights as everyone else. Equality and the rights of the people are ever so present when citizens are voting for our representatives, presidents, senators, etc.
The enactment of the Voting Rights Act in 1965 was a momentous event in American civil rights history, representing a critical milestone in the protection of voting rights for marginalized communities, particularly African Americans who had long endured systematic voter suppression and discrimination. This landmark legislation played a pivotal role in the larger context of the Civil Rights Movement, serving as a long-awaited response to the persistent demand for change. The passage of the Act was the culmination of generations of arduous efforts, driven by a combination of deep-rooted causation, evolving circumstances, and shifting perspectives. Exploring the underlying factors that led to the eventual passage of the Voting Rights Act in the
Not only does a vote serve as a person’s voice, electing representatives who represent all the people’s issues and goals help modify the community for the better. Unfortunately, these opportunities were not given freely to African Americans. Jim Crow Laws implemented various types of tests and methods to deter Black people from voting. For example, before being allowed to register to vote, most southern state voting officials enforced that Black people “pass literacy tests or recite the Constitution” (Pendergast 121). This method was highly effective because the majority of African American people were not taught how to read or write during slavery and therefore did not pass.
To accomplish social equality and justice has been a long controversial issue in U.S. history. Voting Rights Act of 1965 should be understood as a tremendous accomplishment today because it not only represent a symbol of the triumph of fighting social injustice, but also open the first gate for African American and minority to strive for more political power in order to create a “great society.”
Although technically people of color had the right, white people were making it very difficult to register. When African Americans went to register they would be tested continuously, something white people never had to deal with. Only two percent of African Americans in the south could vote. Before the march from Selma to Montgomery there were many protests to try to gain fair voting rights. One man, Jimmie Lee Jackson was killed at a peaceful protest by a state trooper.